Bought one bottle to check it out because there are some very good blends being produced. I should've checked the community scores first. As with the Conundrum White, their Red Blend was just ok, nothing special, nothing to induce me to buy another bottle. Saved the remaining 2 oz for later to sautee mushrooms.
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The scores for this wine range from dreadful to excellent - so I was unsure what to expect. The wine has decent fruity nose - that persists beyond the first few minutes. The taste is a mix of sweet and fruit - as several other reviewers have noted, and not unpleasant. But not much complexity or aftertaste. There is no noticeable wood. The wine has high alcohol - the bottle had 14.2%
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I have been drinking white Conundrum for years, usually with fish at dinner. This red is a strange combination. I tried to find, online, what varietals were in it. Hard to get any wine stores/brokers/dealers to comment. I guess they want to help Charlie keep the secret. Here's what my unprofessional guess is... Syrah, Zin, Carignane and concord grape? LOL. It really doesn't need to be kept a secret. This will be the only bottle I ever buy.
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picked this up on a flyer out of town at a wine store. I clearly hadn't read the reviews here before trying it but I can't disagree much. Just not special and didn't help that I overpaid for what is probably overpriced wine to begin with. not horrendous just not all that good/unique/interesting. will say it held up and did not get worse on day 2 (after I only had about 1/3 of the bottle on day 1).
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Crap. Very disappointed was wine club selection. Clearly, wine store trying to dump this sweet goop, while claiming it's "under the radar." Very unappealing wine in my opinion.
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Noted on the label "A Proprietary Blend of California Red Wine." Very surprised at the sweetness on the nose and in the mouth. Could also not make out what the proprietary blend was made up of (could not put my finger on it) but was nothing to write home about!
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Super-juicy fruit-bomb of a wine, with almost no detectable oak until maybe late mid-palate and the finish. This will be a big hit at non-serious wine parties, as it swings for the fences with sweetness. Not bad stuff honestly, just not much here for the discerning enthusiast. The real fun of course is trying to figure out what's in it, and from my chair the three predominant varietals are pretty clear - Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Cabernet. Zin on the nose and attack, hints of Pinot on the nose and midpalate, Cabernet midpalate and finish. CW-II probably threw a few eyedroppers of other things in there for grins, but this wine tastes like a Zin/Pinot/Cab to me.
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Agree with many of the previous posts. A kitchen-sink blend of sweet/fruity juice that lacks balance or complexity of any kind. Nice for pouring over ice cream or as a compliement to a wedding reception's band.
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Powerful nose with red hard candy and red licorice scents, plus lots of eucalyptus aromas. Very fruity with sugar plum, spicy cooked cherries with shades of sugared violets, very viscus in the mouth and long finish. Similar to White Conundrum with the interplay of floral and fruit notes, with the red leaning more to the candied fruit notes.Borders on a dessert wine. Curious how and if it will develop. Guessing there is ripe Zinfandel and Syrah. Would be nice to serve to a diverse group at Thanksgiving.
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Dark color. Unremarkable both on the nose & upon entry. A bit of sweetness emerges through the midpalate. Some spiciness and very pleasantly drying tannin then come through on the back...As with this producer's White Table wine, this comes across as a very "manufactured wine," i.e., blended very deliberately. Still, all told, quite decent & palatable. [14.2% abv.; $18.00].
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WOW.... Sweet... jammy. thick. Evern with decanting for an hour it was still too sweet to really enjoy. I have enjoyed many wines from the Wagner Family... I hate to say it but... Charlie, this was not a favorite..
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Lots of raspberry on the nose with some blueberry and pepper. The taste profile is loaded with all types of fruit and eucalyptus. The fish is pretty tangy and peppery with prevalent tannins. The tannins aren't smooth or refined, but rather tangy and mouthpuckering, like a black tea. This wine is really fruit forward and funky...not really my style but ok...I guess. Zinfandel and syrah...mainly.
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nose of eucalyptus, lavender, berries, and chocolate. lots of fruit up front, sweet and juicy. simple and one dimensional but nice for folks that normally don't drink red. soft tannings. medium finish.
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Aromas aren't pronounced but are vaguely pleasant generic "red wine" markers. Significant black currant. Some Rhone-like/Syrah aromas in the background.
On the palate it feels brambly. A reasonably enjoyable slightly sweet/early aspect. But it taste a lot like grape juice.
I don't think there's any Pinot Noir nor Cabernet in this wine. If I had to guess the composition I'd say Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, and possible Zinfandel.
Interesting. Not sure I'm ready to back up the truck on this one just yet.
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8/24/2014 - boomecho Does not like this wine: 75 Points
Bought one bottle to check it out because there are some very good blends being produced. I should've checked the community scores first. As with the Conundrum White, their Red Blend was just ok, nothing special, nothing to induce me to buy another bottle. Saved the remaining 2 oz for later to sautee mushrooms.
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1/4/2014 - safetyengineer Likes this wine: 84 Points
The scores for this wine range from dreadful to excellent - so I was unsure what to expect. The wine has decent fruity nose - that persists beyond the first few minutes. The taste is a mix of sweet and fruit - as several other reviewers have noted, and not unpleasant. But not much complexity or aftertaste. There is no noticeable wood. The wine has high alcohol - the bottle had 14.2%
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6/14/2013 - vintagechuck wrote: 79 Points
I have been drinking white Conundrum for years, usually with fish at dinner. This red is a strange combination. I tried to find, online, what varietals were in it. Hard to get any wine stores/brokers/dealers to comment. I guess they want to help Charlie keep the secret. Here's what my unprofessional guess is... Syrah, Zin, Carignane and concord grape? LOL. It really doesn't need to be kept a secret. This will be the only bottle I ever buy.
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7/19/2012 - Chris Herron wrote:
Excellent. No notes taken. Recall thinking not bad. Tasted May/June 2012.
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6/26/2012 - Bricks wrote: 79 Points
picked this up on a flyer out of town at a wine store. I clearly hadn't read the reviews here before trying it but I can't disagree much. Just not special and didn't help that I overpaid for what is probably overpriced wine to begin with. not horrendous just not all that good/unique/interesting. will say it held up and did not get worse on day 2 (after I only had about 1/3 of the bottle on day 1).
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6/4/2012 - yankee22 wrote: 70 Points
Crap. Very disappointed was wine club selection. Clearly, wine store trying to dump this sweet goop, while claiming it's "under the radar." Very unappealing wine in my opinion.
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6/1/2012 - sjhoffman wrote: 79 Points
Noted on the label "A Proprietary Blend of California Red Wine." Very surprised at the sweetness on the nose and in the mouth. Could also not make out what the proprietary blend was made up of (could not put my finger on it) but was nothing to write home about!
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5/21/2012 - JJ Lincoln wrote: 90 Points
Great fruit bomb!
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4/12/2012 - RSLyss wrote: 88 Points
Super-juicy fruit-bomb of a wine, with almost no detectable oak until maybe late mid-palate and the finish. This will be a big hit at non-serious wine parties, as it swings for the fences with sweetness. Not bad stuff honestly, just not much here for the discerning enthusiast. The real fun of course is trying to figure out what's in it, and from my chair the three predominant varietals are pretty clear -
Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Cabernet. Zin on the nose and attack, hints of Pinot on the nose and midpalate, Cabernet midpalate and finish.
CW-II probably threw a few eyedroppers of other things in there for grins, but this wine tastes like a Zin/Pinot/Cab to me.
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3/29/2012 - Derelihc06 wrote: 80 Points
Bit on the sweet side for me, pleasant once it mellows a bit. Add the cheese and crackers, good pairing.
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3/3/2012 - dpicarillo wrote: 80 Points
Very very sweet.
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3/2/2012 - O2bntx wrote:
Sweet to start, nice finish
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2/19/2012 - stlwinelush wrote:
needs food
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2/17/2012 - Snoman wrote: 84 Points
Agree with many of the previous posts. A kitchen-sink blend of sweet/fruity juice that lacks balance or complexity of any kind. Nice for pouring over ice cream or as a compliement to a wedding reception's band.
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2/10/2012 - Nyindallas wrote: 87 Points
Powerful nose with red hard candy and red licorice scents, plus lots of eucalyptus aromas. Very fruity with sugar plum, spicy cooked cherries with shades of sugared violets, very viscus in the mouth and long finish. Similar to White Conundrum with the interplay of floral and fruit notes, with the red leaning more to the candied fruit notes.Borders on a dessert wine. Curious how and if it will develop. Guessing there is ripe Zinfandel and Syrah. Would be nice to serve to a diverse group at Thanksgiving.
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1/23/2012 - Mark216 wrote: 75 Points
Very disappointing, not sure even worth commenting on. Ridiculously sweet, mass wine.
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1/18/2012 - BiggE5252 wrote: 86 Points
Dark Color Strong Fruit nose, smooth berry on the palate!
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1/8/2012 - Bacchant wrote: 88 Points
Dark color. Unremarkable both on the nose & upon entry. A bit of sweetness emerges through the midpalate. Some spiciness and very pleasantly drying tannin then come through on the back...As with this producer's White Table wine, this comes across as a very "manufactured wine," i.e., blended very deliberately. Still, all told, quite decent & palatable. [14.2% abv.; $18.00].
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1/6/2012 - GretchenB wrote: 70 Points
I did not love this wine. In fact, it was a huge disappointment. The nose is super jammy and fruit forward almost like a desert wine.
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12/21/2011 - DJSeiler wrote: 85 Points
WOW.... Sweet... jammy. thick. Evern with decanting for an hour it was still too sweet to really enjoy. I have enjoyed many wines from the Wagner Family... I hate to say it but... Charlie, this was not a favorite..
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12/2/2011 - foobarski wrote: 85 Points
Vinturi'd and decanted. Pretty loud, fruity and spicy.
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11/29/2011 - jonradus wrote: 82 Points
Lots of raspberry on the nose with some blueberry and pepper. The taste profile is loaded with all types of fruit and eucalyptus. The fish is pretty tangy and peppery with prevalent tannins. The tannins aren't smooth or refined, but rather tangy and mouthpuckering, like a black tea. This wine is really fruit forward and funky...not really my style but ok...I guess. Zinfandel and syrah...mainly.
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11/26/2011 - ihavezinned wrote: 86 Points
nose of eucalyptus, lavender, berries, and chocolate.
lots of fruit up front, sweet and juicy. simple and one dimensional but nice for folks that normally don't drink red. soft tannings. medium finish.
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11/3/2011 - RobertDwyer wrote: 86 Points
Dark purple/magenta. Nearly opaque.
Aromas aren't pronounced but are vaguely pleasant generic "red wine" markers. Significant black currant. Some Rhone-like/Syrah aromas in the background.
On the palate it feels brambly. A reasonably enjoyable slightly sweet/early aspect. But it taste a lot like grape juice.
I don't think there's any Pinot Noir nor Cabernet in this wine. If I had to guess the composition I'd say Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, and possible Zinfandel.
Interesting. Not sure I'm ready to back up the truck on this one just yet.
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